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Below is my wife's report from her first Salvia experience. She can't post on this site, or even visit it due to her workplace being ridiculously strict about internet usage, so has asked me to as she really wants to share her experience and hopefully get some feedback. Any questions will be passed on and answered with as little delay as possible.

Like me she's 29. She's a real hippy, hasn't had her hair cut in years, doesn't wear make-up, devotes tonnes of time to our garden and trips on mushrooms with me very regularly - we both did LSD a few times together at university too.

One final thing, my name is not really "Arthur", and my wife's name is not "Amy", but for 'reasons' I have supplanted our own names with these pseudonyms.

Amy's first Salvia Trip Report - 14th August 18.18

I inhaled, and I think part of me was thinking "I won't inhale all of it, only part of it to see what it's like" and then, as I was holding it, I was looking around and it seemed like a while has passed, but nothing was happening. I was thinking "Oh God, it's not worked, I haven't had enough". As I hadn't been counting how long I'd been holding my breath I was miming to Arthur, "Should I breathe it out?" Arthur said, "Try and hold it as long as you can and just lie back and close your eyes". So then I took in another sharp little breath and did as instructed.

Still feeling like it hadn't worked I felt a ripple, which felt like the shape of the TV/film effect which represents passage into a dream sequence, go through my chest and then the "drawers'" in my chest started opening down my left side (only later did I laugh, recalling about the "chest of drawers", especially as we had planned to look for one in a second hand shop the previous day). The ripple went into my legs, which started turning clockwise and from my hips down they were twisting around each other (which I later realised echoed when I was twisting wire whilst working on a sculpture earlier that day). Once my legs had completed a full rotation they popped off and became one of the "bags" that made up the fence I was standing by.

The next part is a bit vague in my memory; there was a brief moment when I was still aware of me, there was the "bag fence" and there was something to do with a shop or a stall, a distinct feeling of my primary school. It was rather like the school fete plant stall my mum ran every year when I was a kid. It was a summer's day; I could feel a breeze and hear birds. I had an awareness that Arthur was still there and I thought he could see everything I was seeing, even though I couldn't see him and there was this line of bags forming. The bags had light coming out of them at this point and were then all zipped up with one great big, giant zip that connected them all. This was also whilst my legs were twisting off and it's here that I had totally forgotten that I'd taken Salvia.

I was lying on the sofa, laughing at the fact that I had been so terrified of doing this and laughing with relief about all the crap I was shedding off, whilst simultaneously being an eight-year-old girl standing by the fence outside of the front garden. The "me" I normally am didn't recognise this garden. The edge of the sofa (in the living room that was now entirely forgotten) corresponded to the fence I was peering over and the fence, which was also a line of bags (I knew that they were intentionally, meant to be, a fence). At the far end of the sofa the fence turned right, following the line that is the edge of the rug.

Where the rug was in the living room is where the garden was in "Salvia World", which wrapped around 2 sides of the house there, like an L-shaped garden. On the other side of both fences there was a pathway, which I was standing on. Beyond the path, down the far end, where a road would normally be, was a large grassy area and people were walking along a path down that end. They were smartly dressed and lots of them were wearing hats and carrying umbrellas and the women had their arms through the men's arms. It felt very much like it was in the 1950s and/or like it was in "Mr Ben".

My "Mum" (but not my real mum), although I didn't see/hear her at this point, only felt this, was telling me to hurry up (it was more like a voice in my head than actually hearing it), because we had to go to the bakers before she took me to school. I just stood there passively watching everything and waiting. In the garden with my "Mum" (Mrs Salvia) was a middle-aged female friend, who I think was representational of Arthur as she was very much proportionally where Arthur was actually sat.

Occasionally the passersby would take one of the bags, which were all different, muted, natural colours, closing them shut with a handbag clasp before taking them away by their long rigid handbag-like handles. As "Mum's" friend left she closed and took away with her the bag that was my legs, which was the same colour as my actual trousers. Mrs Salvia started busily and carefully weeding and hoeing the garden, I don't know how long I watched her for. She was quite tall and slim. Old, but still fit, healthy and strong. She had her back to me and seemed rather shy of me, like she was checking me out. Hence using her friend as an intermediary to answer my question by taking my legs/bag away. Despite being a passionate gardener, I cannot remember what the garden looked like, maybe because when I was eight I wasn't that interested in plants.

While this was happening, from Arthur's point of view I was giggling and saying "Oh my god!" a lot, for pretty much the entire five-minute duration. I raised my left arm (despite being right handed) "drunkenly" slurring, "Who is that?" and something along the lines of "Who were all those people? Where are they going? Where are they taking the something? How are they going to shut the something without the something?" whilst clapping my hands like crocodile jaws. Not having any awareness of these actions I can only guess that both seem to possibly be about the people or Mrs Salvia and her friend. I'm not sure which though. According to Arthur I also stopped laughing for a while and, one arm over my head hand, hanging down, covered my face and gently stroked it with my hands. I don't recall this at all but I think I can remember moving my arms down afterwards.

Arthur remembers me opening my eyes and looking around as if I was refocusing. I stared wide-eyed at him to make sure of where I was. I knew who Arthur and I were at that point. I looked down at the carpet and briefly, right in the centre of it there was a crack, like a gap between clouds (which we would see later) and light emerging from it. This was the only open eyed visuals I had. I was saying, "I didn't do...did I?" Arthur reassured me that I had taken Salvia five minutes ago. I did not believe that I had done Salvia; it felt like I had woken up from a nap, from having an intense dream. I started laughing, saying "Oh my God!" and eventually "I'm coming back now". Moving to the floor I was trying to describe what I'd seen, but it was coming out all garbled, sounding something like "Cause the fence and the bag and the thing and ZIPS!" I had also been thinking that Arthur had seen all that I had and would understand what I meant. Continuing to laugh a lot I slowly took my time before standing up. I knelt looking out of the window, walking on my knees, as if worshiping nature.

We went outside, the garden looked so beautiful that I had to look away. The colour of the roses was so intense and all the almost ripe vegetables were beautiful. I knew they were all "our" work, including Gaia's, just glorious.

A buzz remained, which I described as being like a caffeine high, for a long period, plus periods of dizziness and a feeling of exhaustion, yet I was not tired. I think it means I have to have patience, not be so controlling, appreciating stuff more and just....Oh my God!

In retrospect the layout of the garden, particularly there being grass instead of a road, correlates to the house I spent my first five years living in. The plant stall was there to remind me of one of the good things I've got from my (actual) mum - gardening. I always tend to only think of the negative.

The closing of the bag and removal of my legs and lower half I feel represents the answer to my major question going in. I had been feeling angst about the idea of having children. Salvia, by removing the area told me not to worry about that for now. The "Hurry up" only to then be left watching and waiting tells me there is plenty of time still and after all I'm still only a child!

--------------------"You've got to get hold of the thread of marching time, pull the fuck thing down, get on the end of it and pang yourself to the infinitude of absolute mind"
Ken Campbell - Furtive Nudist

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced" - Aart van der Leeuw

That is a great trip report. Thanks for sharing! You seemed to learn alot from this experience, it was a good teacher. It's interesting how the beginning worked with your recent thoughts (wire-twisting and furniture). So there was a female Salvia presence, in the form of your "Mum"? Did you experience any fear or confusion? Cause you seemed to take it well. theorganicdomino - Good job on helping respectfully introducing your wife to the Salvia experience. I recently read your salvia report and really enjoyed it. Glad y'all had positive trips, and thanks for contributing.

--------------------"This whole idea that different is bad, that a change in consciousness is in itself harmful, is really one of the fundamental problems inherent in the drug war.” - Rick Doblin
my cactus collectionYou vote with your dollars. Everyday. Vote responsibly.

Quote:ToolTroll said:Did you experience any fear or confusion? Cause you seemed to take it well.

Amy passes on that she had no fear or confusion, the whole experience was very smooth.

The salvia trip I had last night was fucking frustrating though - will post as soon as I've typed up my notes from last night.

--------------------"You've got to get hold of the thread of marching time, pull the fuck thing down, get on the end of it and pang yourself to the infinitude of absolute mind"
Ken Campbell - Furtive Nudist

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced" - Aart van der Leeuw

The thing I'm finding is that you've got find your correct dosage, and the right extract for you - my wife only needs a pinch, I've only just found out that I need a fair bit more to fully break through.

--------------------"You've got to get hold of the thread of marching time, pull the fuck thing down, get on the end of it and pang yourself to the infinitude of absolute mind"
Ken Campbell - Furtive Nudist

"The mystery of life is not a problem to be solved but a reality to be experienced" - Aart van der Leeuw

This is another long report... this seemed like the most appropriate place to post a lengthy salvia trip report. I hope my experience can help first timers as well as deep trippers alike.

--------------------------------

So here's set up for my last hard trip with Salvia. I smoked indoors, without anyone around. (I would strongly advise against a solo trip... especially if you are uncertain or at all apprehensive about taking salvia. However, I felt I needed seclusion to achieve a more sterile setting. On previous trips I've had friends, no fault of their own... draw my trip into a direction I wasn't looking for.) I designated my dog as my "reality anchor." Also, I heard marijuana can inhibit salvia so I abstained from smoking for a week prior to my trip. I've also had a difficult time recollecting trips so I've been focusing on dream recollection as well as meditation to aid in minimizing my black out time. My theory is that the more control you have of your mind and the more experience you have with psychedelics the less your consciousness shuts off during a trip.

It's like this, let's say we put the range of any psychedelic's effects on a scale from 1 to 10. 1 being the state of slightly heightened reality and 10 being completely broken through. (For myself and many others, the ultimate goal of meditation and psychedelics.) The more of a 'reality freak' you are, less you can comprehend. So everyone has a certain level they can experience before their conscious essentially shuts off. Your mind allows you to experience only so much, the less conditioned your mind or less open your mindset, the less you can experience or recollect from the experience. For example, someone like my mom who feels uncomfortable drinking regular coffee may only be able to get to say about a 3-4 on the effects scale before she would black out. Where as the other end of the spectrum we have the old LSD, guru, hippy who can comfortably (maybe the wrong word, but I think you catch my gist) achieve and comprehend a break through (level 10 on the scale). In short, I think anyone who takes a high dose trip can break through, it's just a matter of how much of their peak they can experience without blacking out. The more you know, the more open-minded you are; directly effects how pleasant as well as how much you draw from the experience.

Immediately after and actually during this particular trip I would have labeled it a 'bad trip.' But in hindsight I would have to say it was a 'hard trip' as opposed to a bad one. It's like a good roller coaster ride, the value is in how much it effects you. At the time it may be perceived as unsettling or even scary; but if it didn't push this boundary, there wouldn't be much appeal, let alone much to draw from the experience. I guess what I'm saying is, it's a matter of perspective; an eye opening trip can be very scary if you have nothing to put it into perspective. So we have to look at the net result of the trip as opposed to immediately labeling, a complete disconnection from reality, as a 'bad trip.' Unfortunately I think salvia often gets a bad rap because it is so widely available and it is often taken very haphazardly. As a result you have a lot people (people I would call reality freaks) momentarily smashing their grip of reality and this freaks them the fuck out. I think it's important to be an advocate for this widely misunderstood drug. We have a bunch of folks with a distorted impression of hallucinogens throwing their opinion into the mix. If your objective is simply to 'get fucked up' you're liable to have a bad trip. With that said, salvia is to be respected... it is crucial that anyone who takes a trip on salvia is knowledgeable about the drug and its effects. I also can't stress enough how much care has to be taken as to the setting in which the salvia is taken. If you have never taken a heavy psychedelic trip, I would strongly advise you to find someone who has, so they can guide you threw the experience and reassure you that, 'everything is alright,' while you teeter on the edge of reality. (Or step out of reality all together.) What I'm getting at with all of this is, "Don't knock salvia, respect it... if you take a 'bad trip' it is your fault for jumping in over your head." Please, question people as to why they have a positive or negative view of the drug, as well their basis for their opinion.

Back to my trip. I had taken number trips prior to this particular trip. Dosing seems to be somewhat of an issue with salvia. I had gotten some 80x extract, I've had unreliable trips in respect to dosing. (unwittingly getting flipped finishing someone else's bowl or having mild effects from a poorly burned bowl) So I decided to get some plain un-enhanced salvia leaves to put the extract on (to insure a complete burn of extract) as well as a more closely controlled dosage in an effort to find a more predictable 'dosage to effect.' I found a cap for a vial that held pencil erasers... the volume would be comparable to the size of an unused eraser on a regular pencil.

For this trip I filled my slid on my bong with plain salvia leaf and place one cap full of 80x on top of the leaf. I've heard a torch lighter works best; however, I've had no trouble with a bic, so that's what I used. I set up my digital camera to video my trip to aid in recalling my trip later. For this trip I decided to listen to "Pushit (Live)" by Tool, it's the perfect length for a heavy salvia trip. (Coincidence that it's on the Salival album?) The song also felt appropriate for my mindset going into the trip.

I sat down on my couch and took as big of a rip as I could from my bong. Salvia smoke is initially a bit more harsh than marijuana smoke but the bite goes away rather quickly unlike a big rip of marijuana. (hold it, the reflex to cough subsides quickly) I felt the salvia setting into my body making me feel heavy, slowly exhaling. After about 35 seconds I'd completely exhaled the smoke and than took some shallow almost involuntary breaths as my reality began to warp. Watching the video I saw that I laid down on my couch 45 seconds after sparking my bong. I don't remember doing this so I'm guessing I was already beginning peak at that point. At about 1:00 my dog came up and sniffed me, this seems to pull me from whatever thought I was stuck in. My dog was pleasant company however I appeared to be confused. I looked around the room seemingly unfamiliar with my surroundings, as I pet my dog. At about 1:30 I see my gaze fixed on something in the room, I say something like "woo" and I get up from the couch. It's important to mention, I didn't recall leaving the couch during my trip, had I not video taped my trip I wouldn't have known that I had left the couch. While off screen I hear myself exhale loudly, like I was blowing on something... I'm sure this was one of those wooo holy shit shake it off breaths. I stumble back on screen for a moment my motor control is obviously impaired at this point. (1:45 in) It's strange because at this time I do recollect seeing the floor in my hallway... my floor was one of the first clearer visuals that I remembered from the trip. So this was for sure the deepest part of my trip. This is when I felt like I had to be somewhere.

I'm going to try and explain the deepest part of the trip here. This is the time before I had the visual of my floor. So we are talking like the 1:00 to 2:00 minute timeframe where I am coming out of the black out stage. In this part of the trip is seemed as though there was at least one other intelligence involved in my experience, although I want to say there were more. I recollect this figure as if it were a dream this character is like this "big bird" type being. I feel used big bird because that was the simplest device I could come up with to remember the being at the time. A being with a yellow aura and long nose... Ganesha? Either way this was the pivotal being in my trip communicating to me. I say communicating because it was like a dream in which speech isn't used, however thoughts are clearly conveyed in a telepathic manner. The colors red and yellow seem to fill my vision of this world. It's difficult to describe, it's much like trying to describe a dream, not only to do words fall sort , but the memory is faded and shadowy.

Here is were the trip got rough though... this being was revealing to me that my reality wasn't real. In fact all my memories have been an elaborate construction of my imagination. Seemingly every coincidence of my life has built this so called reality. It was like I was being called back, or returning, to a higher reality than our own. In other words, it was like a dream within a dream were I felt like I was getting talked out of this drug trip back into the 'real world' that which is not are own. I somewhat recall other beings there saying something like "your coming out of it, none of that is real..." That being physical reality, or whatever you would like to call it. Like all my life has almost been this cruel joke that someone has played on me, or rather that I have played on myself. You know the song Brain Damage by Pink Floyd... the voice laughing in the background, this is a character we're talking about here. I kept fighting this notion of not existing well the other beings, but mainly this central being was conveying to me, "You know it's true... " It felt very real. This can be a very unsettling proposition if you grip tightly to reality. Actually I would have to say in the moment, this idea scared me.

Something that compounds this idea of 'imagined existence' is salvia's ability to construct complete lifetimes with-in trips. In fact, my first time being rabbit holed on salvia I dreamed that I was stuck in a kind of drug induced coma. My family was coming to visit me in the hospital yet I was unresponsive because I trapped in my own mind. At the time, it felt as if months, even years had passed while in this state. That experience defiantly played into strengthening this notion of 'imagined existence.' That was also the first time I met this big bird/ Gunesha... but, this was years ago and at the time I really didn't have the ability to deconstruct or analyze the experience.

Like I said, it's important to be knowledgeable about the drug. Also, I feel it's important to have a level of spiritual understanding established with yourself in which you can fall back on. This makes harder trips a lot less freaky. I've also been told a good trick to use is simply reminding yourself, "It's the salvia (or whatever you took) doing this... it will pass." I used this, as well as my dog, for an anchor to reality for this most recent trip... I found it to be very effective. (I'm sure there are people out there that would argue that such an attachment to reality can inhibit the overall experience... that's not the crowd I'm speaking to here. If you are comfortable with that level of detachment more power to you. I personally feel the need for this safety net, and I can't stress enough how important it is to have. Remember, during a deep trip, there is moment where reality is completely shattered in your mind. Another thing is time is a completely lost concept in this state.) Actually, the very first time I smoked saliva I had a friend tell be before I smoked that he'd be with me the whole time and I had nothing to worry about. That worked very well, at no point did I feel uncomfortable. I knew I had something/someone I could hold on to and ride it out if it got to be too much. That wasn't something I had for my 'drug coma' trip... which is exactly the kind of bad trip I hope to help other people avoid.

I think I have to mention here, that I do believe in a higher/other dimension than what we experience in our physical bodies. Answering the question of what we were before we were born. In short, I think we have a spirit that sits at the control center of our mind (clouded by our human experience and ego)... this spirit is the core essence of who we are as individuals. When we take a psychedelic our spirit takes a look or even steps out of our current reality and touches this intermediate reality that lies between death and birth. Essentially the antithesis of 'being'... the flipped side of reality. Commonly referred to as 'breaking through.'

As for the more physical side of this experience, this trip came on so quickly that I really don't recall any of the sinking in. I remember however when I was deep inside it felt like my head and entire being was merging with something much larger than myself. It was like this disk was formed around my head. Like I was wearing a hat tipped slightly forward with the rim covering my eyes. This disk was like a vortex connecting me to the grid of the universe. Also, the disk was wavy like if you zoomed in a drop of water falling on surface of water in slow motion. The splash effect created this spindle protruding away from my body... the waves radiated from the spindle to form this disk. All of this force was was spinning up into this spindle and it felt like I was being pulled in with it. It was when I was attached to this when I experienced the meeting with the other being/beings. I'm pretty sure I slipped past or into the wavy disk at some point but I really don't have a clear enough recollection to muster any valuable account of it. One thing though, while I was connected to this higher network I felt very much like myself... everything felt very familiar, this uncanny familiarity coincided strongly with my realization of 'imagined reality.' "You know it's true...."

During the deeper portion of this particular trip time seemed to have been lost. I say lost because it didn't feel like a long time or a short time... it felt like a time in its self. Which was interesting, I've always experience a perception of lengthened time in other trips. Which, yes, in the later phase of this trip time did stretch... but during the peak, time was nothing. This is probably what makes me the most anxious or nervous about tripping on salvia; this complete distortion of time. In the physical world, your are only investing 15-20 minutes before time is really back to an even keel in your mind. However, it feels like you've just invested at least a week if not months or a lifetime in that state. So I kind of cringe before I smoke, knowing my reality is going to spent in what is perceived as a real length of time. Am I willing to go away for that long?

After this deep 'imagined reality' phase; the trip evolved into a merging trip. It was like I detached the spindle of my disk from this higher network but my mind was still engaged in this connection mode. The disk slipped down in front of my eyes and now I was looking down through this spindle... this is the tunnel vision that people commonly report with salvia. Unfortunately this spindle was attaching to anything that I looked at. This was when I had my first clear visual of the floor in my hallway. It's also important to mention that at this point I still wasn't sure that I existed because of the first phase of my trip. I literally was merging with inanimate objects and experiencing whatever an inanimate object experiences... very strange, and nearly impossible to describe. I think the next time I trip, it's going to be outdoors. I feel it would be much more pleasant to merge with a tree or the grass; rather than a cell phone or a bong.

At that point I had really had enough, I just wanted to prove to myself that I existed. I reminded myself that it was the drug that was making me feel like this and I didn't have to go anywhere or do anything. I pulled my dog up on the couch with me and held on to him as I road out the rest of my trip. It was vary comforting being able to simply change my music as I was coming down from this trip... this reassured me that I was real.

--------------------What we value the most to affirm ourselves we are, is our mind. Incidentally, our minds (our thoughts) are the least tangible aspect of our existence.

This is interesting, and it resembles a mythology I have produced in childhood that I still feel is right but I no longer believe in quite as much

Quote:WillmsyCat said:…..I think I have to mention here, that I do believe in a higher/other dimension than what we experience in our physical bodies. Answering the question of what we were before we were born. In short, I think we have a spirit that sits at the control center of our mind (clouded by our human experience and ego)... this spirit is the core essence of who we are as individuals. When we take a psychedelic our spirit takes a look or even steps out of our current reality and touches this intermediate reality that lies between death and birth. Essentially the antithesis of 'being'... the flipped side of reality. Commonly referred to as 'breaking through.' ….

Everyone can agree to a certain extent that the effect on time is basic,I think it is so basic and subtle that we need to re-evaluate all ideas about consciousness so as to respect how the perception of time is changed in dreams and on psychedelics etc.

Quote:….During the deeper portion of this particular trip time seemed to have been lost. I say lost because it didn't feel like a long time or a short time... it felt like a time in its self. Which was interesting, I've always experience a perception of lengthened time in other trips. Which, yes, in the later phase of this trip time did stretch... but during the peak, time was nothing. This is probably what makes me the most anxious or nervous about tripping on salvia; this complete distortion of time. In the physical world, your are only investing 15-20 minutes before time is really back to an even keel in your mind. However, it feels like you've just invested at least a week if not months or a lifetime in that statel. ….

Quote:This is interesting, and it resembles a mythology I have produced in childhood that I still feel is right but I no longer believe in quite as much

Everyone can agree to a certain extent that the effect on time is basic,I think it is so basic and subtle that we need to re-evaluate all ideas about consciousness so as to respect how the perception of time is changed in dreams and on psychedelics etc.

Quote:

sorry about the messed up quotes... still figuring this out

The notion that I expressed here is in no way a complete break down of what I believe... However, I don't you take it as such. You say you no longer believe it quite as much. How has your idea evolved? I'm always interested in listening to another person's point of view. Perhaps in an effort to shed light on the gray areas of my theories.

Here's how I think salvia works though. Our brain has all these processes that achieve a balance... in turn this balance allows us to produce rational though. This is why we can produce a consensual reality, because all of our brains are basically tuned to the same pitch so to speak.

However when we take salvia it's like throwing a rage into one of these gears. This will in turn render adjoining gears (synapses) inoperable. Essentially hitting the off switch on our brain. But, not completely off the other receptors are working; but for all intensive purposes they are ineffective. Salvinorin A (the active chemical in salvia) is a κ-opioid receptor agonists. It shuts these receptors down. The other receptors in your brain rely on all the other receptors to be working in order for them to work.

I think this partial off state of the brain produces an experience similar to death. (When your brain really shuts off.) It is only because these other receptors are functioning (ineffectively... but still fuctioning) that we draw anything from the experience. Hence a cloudy dream-like trip.

Here's the leap of faith though. In death is this a pure experience? An experience that we have only glimpsed threw drugs and meditation. I think that is what salvia allows us to do; to look at existence beyond death and perhaps before rebirth. The stunning commonalities (locations as well as entities) produced during trips between isolated users really helps me take this leap. Don't you think if your brain was simply freaking out the experience would be much more random? A thought to chew on...------------As far as the concept of time, you are absolutely right. We need to seriously rethink what time actually is. Time isn't as linear and constant as we perceive it to be in physical reality. Hell even Einstein said time is irrelevant.

Thanks for that thoughts and comments.

--------------------What we value the most to affirm ourselves we are, is our mind. Incidentally, our minds (our thoughts) are the least tangible aspect of our existence.

if you rethink the processing of time enough you don't need to speculate about death at all.

also there is a commonality with salvia and all the other psychedelics, both the long acting and the short acting, so what ever their precise receptors are, the psychedelic result is a modulation down the chain, longer or shorter term.